Shoe-upper



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.-

w. P. HOBSON.

SHOE UPPER.

No. 306,752. Patented Oct. 21, 1884.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet W. P. HOBSON. SHOE UPPER.

No. 30 ,752. Patented Oct. 21,1884.

W Ire/062L130 7" M/{W Q & WM

- UNITED STArEs FATENT @EEiQE.

XVILLIAlWI P. HOBSON, OF HAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS.

SHOE-UPPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 306,752, dated October 21, 1884.

A pplieation filed March 10,1884.

To whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, \VILLIAM I. HonsON, of Haverhill, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Inn provements in Shoe-Uppers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to enable the entire upper of alowcut shoe to be made from a single piece of material; and it consists in an upper composed of two parts-via, first, a single piece comprising the vamp and both quarters, and cut to forma front opening, having at one side the instep flap or fly, and at the other side a recess, out of which said flap is taken; secondly, a supplemental piece constituting the opposite flap or fly, and formed from the material removed from the first piece, as I will now proceed to describe.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a plan of the blank for the upper as cut. Fig. 2 represents a plan of the piece removed to form the ankle-opening. Figs. 3 and 4 represent side views of the completed shoe. Fig. 5 represents a plan of an upper, showing a modification. Fig. 6 represents the upper shown in Fig. 5 as folded and having its supplemental piece in position. Figs. 7 and 8 represent views of another modification.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts inall the figures.

In carrying out my invention I form the vamp 2 and the quarters3 in a single piece. Between the quarters I remove a piece of material to form the ankle opening, said piece being afterward utilized in the forms shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, which I will first describe. From the forward end of said ankleopening I extend a curved slit, 4, into the vamp, said slit being a curved continuation of one side of the ankle-opening, as shown in Fi 1, and forming an instep flap or fly, 5, at one side of the slit and a corresponding recess at the other side. The curvature of the slit 4 is such that it gives the edge of the flap 5 the same form as the edges of the piece I), which is removed in forming the ankle-opening, so that when the piece I) is reversed and secured at one edge to the margin of the recess formed in the vamp by the slit 4, as shown in Fig. 3, its outer edge (X0 model.)

will correspond exactly to the edge of the flap 5, and constitute a companion instep flap, which may be secured to the flap 5 by lacings or otherwise when the shoe is in use. By this construction all waste of material is avoided. In Figs. 5 and 6 the same piece, b, is shown as made longer than in Figs. 1 and 2,the opeir ing formed by the removal of said piece extending forward into the vamp and backward into the quarter.

Figs. 7 and 8 show the upper cut on a serpentine line from the forward part of the instep-opening toward or into the vamp, so as to form a series of tongues, t t. In this case the piece b is cut from the' material of the upper between the ankle opening and vamp at one side of the serpentine out, as shown in Fig. 7. The piece bis of such form that when reversed its tongues will exactly match the tongues on the other piece, as shown in Fig. 8. This pattern forms an ornamental shoe with openings across theinstep to display the stockmg.

It will be understood that when the piece I) is secured to the main piece it is in a position the reverse of that it occupied when fitted in the opening from which itis cut, so that if at tached to the main piece from which it is cut it will present its undressed or flesh side to view. To prevent this I cut the upper for a pair of shoes so that the piece 1), taken from one upper, may be applied to the other upper with its dressed side outwardly, neither piece I) being applied to the upper from which it was cut.

I claim 1. The improved shoe-upper composed of a single piece comprising a vamp, two quarters, and an instep flap or portion, and a supplemental piece cut from the main piece and formed at one edge as afac-simile of the edge of the instep portion of the main piece, said supplemental piece being secured to the main piece, coinciding at one edge with theedge of said instep portion, as set forth.

2. The improved shoe upper composed of, first, the main piece, having the instep-opening and a curved slit or cut extending forward from said opening, and forming a flap, 5, projecting across the longitudinal center of IOO the upper, and, secondly, the su 'ipleincntnll in testimony whereof I. have signed my piece I), taken from the a1ik1e-0 )ening undsename to this specification, in the presence 01" IO cured to the recessed edge or side of the slit two subscribing witnesses, this 5th day of 4-, said slit having the same curvature as the March, 1881:.

exposed edge of the piece I), said piece when \VILLLUI 1. IHO'I'ESON. applied'to the recessed edge of theniziin piece, constituting {L companion flap corresponding to the flap 5, as set forth. I

'\\"itncsses: I

JOHN L. Houses, Jmrns A. Norris. 

